Chapter 128: What Do You Mean the Public Relations Risk is a Rumor About Me?
Thus, from that day's unexpected incident onward, Aeron's daily routine became regular.
On one hand, it was because he had completed most of the preparatory work he could handle himself. The remaining tasks required waiting for Ciaccona and Carlotta's side to progress further, and he didn't want to be constrained by preparations made too far in advance.
On the other hand...
Someone truly did as she said, frequently visiting Aeron's messy, unlivable room to watch him work, to the point even Abby couldn't stand it.
Under the gaze of the "king" he had elevated, he had no choice but to end the two-week-long, sleepless all-nighters he had been pulling.
There was no way around it—the pressure she exerted was simply too great. At first, Aeron felt too embarrassed to continue pulling all-nighters with her present, only to realize he couldn't outlast her.
Moreover, every time Aeron prepared to push himself to the brink, she would stop him with a "friendly" expression, preventing him from refreshing his state.
So, he could only obediently choose to sleep, praying he wouldn't see her in his dreams.
Additionally, for some unknown reason, several people would visit the mansion every day. Sometimes it was Phoebe bringing matters related to the Order, though in reality, she was simply there to hang out with Aeron and Little Carte.
Her reasoning was, "Your huge living room is just sitting empty anyway." Since she always brought glue for Aeron to play with, he didn't mind.
Aside from his dear junior, sometimes the head of the household would visit, always bringing sweets for Roccia and Little Carte while wearing an almost affectionate expression. Did he actually like them? Aeron didn't understand.
Oh, and most of the time, Brant would come to play cards with him. They would each hide a back-row card, set three traps to ambush the opponent, and then immediately dive into a shadow duel.
By the way, over the past few days, no conspicuous blue butterflies had appeared in the house, nor had any terrifying-looking flowers sprouted. Truly a cause for celebration—Coca-Cola, anyone?
However, vacations eventually come to an end. After receiving Carlotta's message, Aeron immediately rushed to her place.
"Wow... amazing..."
Ciaccona, standing beside Aeron, gazed at the recording studio before them in awe.
The soundproofed and acoustically treated recording booth, the control room equipped with recording, monitoring, and mixing equipment, plus additional equipment rooms and a common area—everything matched Aeron's specifications and looked quite impressive. Even Aeron thought it wasn't bad.
"Mmm... this was all a necessary investment."
As for the Second Young Lady beside them, having no concept of equipment prices, she had been swindled by Aeron's extravagant spending of company funds and was now feeling somewhat dejected.
"After all, this equipment is inherently expensive, and since Ragunna doesn't have it, it had to be shipped from the Black Shores. You really went through a lot, Second Young Lady."
Aeron patted Carlotta's shoulder and walked into the control room.
What can be said? Truly worthy of the Black Shores—every piece of equipment looked to be of guaranteed quality. It seems Montelli's money was well spent.
Although these devices were completely unfamiliar to Aeron, that naturally wasn't a problem for him.
[Instant Mastery, activate]
The moment his fingers touched the equipment, the functions of all those dazzling panels, adjustment knobs, and debugging switches instantly flowed into Aeron's mind, and he understood their uses in an instant.
Partly.
Then, like an expert, Aeron skillfully turned on the device. The indicator lights lit up, and the equipment in the recording studio began to operate, emitting a faint humming sound.
"How... how does it feel? Should be usable, right?"
Carlotta asked nervously, watching the recording studio before her. She was even more anxious than Aeron.
"Yeah, the basic setup has already been done by the people from Black Shores. Once I make a few more adjustments, we can import the demo Ciaccona made earlier..."
As he spoke, Aeron took out his terminal from his pocket and imported the data into the console.
The first song he had asked Ciaccona to prepare—she had drafted it within a few days. After that, they finalized the simple melodic framework Ciaccona had prepared on the lute, along with the most basic vocals.
However, even with the help of [Reality Marble], without proper equipment, all Aeron could do was save Ciaccona's initial draft on his terminal.
Fortunately, after studying so much and listening to the draft countless times, he already had an idea.
As for now, what he needed to do was transform that original version, with its unique narrative sense and lingering atmosphere characteristic of Ciaccona, into something entirely different in his mind.
"Wait a moment, I'll do some simple arranging. Let me know what you think afterward."
Aeron said to Ciaccona, then put on the monitoring headphones.
Ciaccona nodded, standing behind Aeron with anticipation, watching him alongside Carlotta.
Aeron took a deep breath and placed his hands on the console's faders and knobs.
Then, his gaze grew focused, as if he had entered another world.
Time passed minute by minute.
Carlotta and Ciaccona could only watch as Aeron continuously operated the equipment—adjusting a knob here, dragging tracks on the virtual interface there, tapping the nearby drum pads to produce short, rhythmic beats.
Occasionally, he would pause, close his eyes, and savor the moment before continuing.
Ciaccona watched Aeron's every move throughout, her eyes shining with excitement, eagerly anticipating what he would turn her song into.
As for Carlotta, she remained with her arms crossed, quietly observing the man completely immersed in his work.
For some reason, her feelings were complicated.
This person... who usually seemed lazy and indifferent to everything around him, was now showing an expression Carlotta had never seen before.
Focused, calm, with a light in his eyes.
As if what lay before him wasn't just complex equipment and audio tracks, but the entire world.
Yet, when he was with them before, he had never been this serious.
This thought left Carlotta feeling inexplicably unsettled.
And after about half an hour had passed, Aeron finally stopped moving.
He took off his headphones, let out a long sigh, then turned to look at Carlotta and Ciaccona.
"Done?"
"Yeah, I made a simple demo. Please give it a listen, both of you."
As Aeron spoke, he pressed the play button.
Then, from the control room's monitor speakers flowed frequencies similar to Ciaccona's original yet completely different.
The originally folk-inspired, melodious prelude played on the lute was replaced by a bright, lively intro constructed from synthesizer tones.
The drumbeat kicked in, the bass laid the foundation, and then, building upon Ciaccona's original melody and vocals, rich layers of harmony were added, making the overall rhythm light and full of forward momentum.
The poet's slightly melancholic narrative feel was preserved to the greatest extent within the melodic lines, but the entire song's atmosphere became completely different—more direct, more infectious, like sunlight breaking through the clouds and shining on a street just after a storm.
In the chorus section, Aeron also added a brief but catchy synthesizer part, instantly enhancing the song's memorability by more than just a notch.
The song wasn't long, only about two minutes or so, but when the last note faded, a brief silence fell over the control room.
Ciaccona's mouth hung open, her eyes wide and round, as if she were hearing the song for the first time.
Carlotta was also stunned.
Although she wasn't familiar with this type of music, she still had a basic sense of appreciation.
The core of the melody hadn't changed, nor had the unique quality of Ciaccona's voice, but the entire song's "form" had completely transformed.
From a narrative poem suitable for quiet listening by a campfire at night, it had become something full of hope that made you want to nod along to the beat as soon as you heard it...
"An idol song."
Aeron spoke the words for Ciaccona and Carlotta.
Seeing their expressions, he could more or less guess their thoughts, revealing an unmistakable, slightly weary but proud smile.
"So, how is it? Passable?"
"T-This is just 'passable'?!"
Ciaccona snapped back to reality, her expression excited, looking at Aeron with an almost worshipful gaze.
"This is a completely different song! The melody hasn't changed, but the feeling is totally different. How did you do it, partner?!"
"It's not that amazing. I just expanded a bit on your framework."
Aeron said casually, but the pride in his eyes was still hard to hide.
"All those late nights I've been pulling lately weren't for nothing, right? They were meant to come in handy at a time like this."
Carlotta looked at his expression, which practically screamed "Praise me," and let out a light "hmph."
"Praising him too much will spoil him, you know, Ciaccona."
"Ah, you're right about that."
"What do you two take me for, I'd like to ask."
As Aeron spoke, he stretched his stiff neck, then placed both hands on Ciaccona's smooth shoulders and nudged her into the recording booth.
"Now that you've listened, it's time to work. Let's strike while the iron is hot and record the vocals. It'll make adjustments easier later."
"Okay!"
After helping Ciaccona adjust the microphone height and teaching her how to set up the headphones, Aeron returned to the control room and turned on the communication system.
"Can you hear me?"
"Y-yes, I can hear you!"
Ciaccona's voice came through the headphones, tinged with a hint of nervousness.
"Don't be nervous. Just treat it like your usual practice sessions. Let's run through it a few times first to get a feel for it."
As he spoke, Aeron replayed the demo track.
Inside the recording booth, Ciaccona took a deep breath and began singing a cappella along with the accompaniment.
It had to be said that her vocal talent was truly exceptional—clear and penetrating. This was largely thanks to her previous singing style, which gave her a voice that could rival anyone's.
Driven by the rhythmically precise accompaniment Aeron had rearranged, she naturally adjusted her vocal technique to match the groove.
The first few takes were still a bit rough, with occasional timing issues or unsteady breath control.
But soon, Ciaccona found her rhythm.
As he listened, Aeron made simple notes on the control console, occasionally adjusting the monitor mix.
Carlotta stood quietly beside him, watching him work.
The atmosphere in the control room was focused, filled only with the music and occasional exchanges.
After about five or six takes, Aeron called for a break.
"That's enough for now. Let's take a rest. The last take overall felt pretty good. We'll keep that one as a base and can do composite editing from there later."
"O-okay!"
Ciaccona emerged from the recording booth, a fine layer of sweat already beading on her forehead, but her eyes were bright.
"How did it feel?"
"It's completely different from how I used to sing! I had to constantly pay attention to the rhythm and breath control, and manage my emotions... but it was fun!"
"Glad to hear it."
Aeron smiled, then turned to look at Carlotta.
"By the way, Second Young Lady, how has the response been to those rumors I asked you to spread earlier?"
At this mention, Carlotta's expression turned somewhat subtle.
"I was just about to bring that up."
She walked over to Aeron and opened her terminal, displaying the information about Ciaccona that Aeron had previously asked her to disseminate.
"As per your request, I had Montelli's people, along with that troupe leader and Zani, spread the news through Averardo Bank's channels to gather feedback."
Carlotta scrolled through the messages on her terminal, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Most people have no idea what the concept of an 'idol' even is, so the discussions are all over the place. Some say it might be a new form of theater, others guess it's an improved version of Echoes performances... In short, no one has accurately grasped the core message you wanted to convey."
After hearing Carlotta's report, Aeron's expression remained unchanged.
"That's fine. All of that was within expectations. What about the public sentiment? Any negative reports?"
"..."
Carlotta paused, her gaze toward Aeron carrying a hint of mischief.
At this, Aeron could no longer ignore it.
While it was common for some to criticize emerging trends, Aeron couldn't let any of it affect Ciaccona's state of mind.
If necessary, he would consider taking matters into his own hands or leveraging the power of the Rover or Cantarella.
Carlotta could also see what he was thinking and sighed helplessly.
"Don't be so tense. It's not about Ciaccona, it's... about you."
"...…Me??"
Aeron was stunned.
"I'm not the one on stage, what does it have to do with me?"
"True, you're not in the spotlight, but that doesn't stop people from linking you to this."
Then, Carlotta showed Aeron the messages on her terminal:
"I heard the mastermind behind this is that 'evil spirit' from Carnevale."
"And he's involved with multiple people... really?"
"Absolutely! This is a video someone risked their life to capture. Please!"
"One passed, two passed... damn, they all passed!"
"Looks like Montelli's little guy got taken down."
"Not necessarily. I say he wouldn't last half a move against the head of the Fisalia Family. Anyone get it?"
"I'm betting on that 'King.' Wanna make a wager?"
""
Aeron stared at the messages, unable to say a word.
Damn it, Ciaccona is the one on stage, and Montelli is the public face, so why am I the one ending up with a slanderous rumor?!
"Well... probably because... someone combined rumors about you being close with several women—the Rover, Phoebe, Cantarella, and... me—and speculated that you're doing this to... uh, how should I put it, build a bigger 'harem'?"
"First of all, whether I actually did any of this or not, why was my information leaked?!"
"This... well, because you said to make use of all available hype. So when the team executed it, they thought your previous identity as the 'evil spirit' was a great talking point to attract attention, so... they borrowed it a little."
"Don't get creative with weird ideas in places like this!!"
"At least the hype is there... calm down?"
Aeron couldn't help but marvel at how Rinascita was truly full of talent—these people's every move was beyond his expectations.
From a communication perspective, a controversial, talk-worthy figure behind the scenes is indeed more likely to spark discussion than a completely blank project, though the direction of the discussion seems a bit off.
"At least the discussion atmosphere is quite friendly... maybe you should just endure it for now?"
"Could you not sound so detached, Second Young Lady?"
But no matter what, hype is hype, and it's a good thing. After all, he has no reputation left to speak of.
"...Infamy is still fame, at least people are talking. Once Ciaccona's work truly comes out, quality will speak for itself, and the tide will naturally turn."
"You're quite optimistic."
"Because aside from the wrong motives, they're all telling the damn truth (sadly)."
Aeron covered his face and cried out helplessly. Seriously, these people can talk all they want, but how is there even a video?!
"Please keep monitoring closely and inform me promptly of any new developments. As for those messy rumors... try to suppress them if possible. If they can't be contained, at least don't let them spread too wildly."
"I'll handle it."
Carlotta nodded, then seemed to suddenly remember something and added:
"Oh, regarding your specific position and compensation after coming to Montelli, I've been thinking about that recently."
"Why bother with that?"
"After all, you've made me invest such a large sum of money. If it ends up losing, I won't let you off easily."
"Hahahaha, I absolutely won't lose, Second Young Lady!"
"...I don't know where you get such confidence from."
Carlotta looked at him, suddenly let out a soft "hmph," and turned her face away.
"Anyway, you'd better keep your word. If you mess up, I'll..."
"Tie me to Montelli to work off the debt for life, I know, you've said that several times already. I won't give you that chance."
"...Hmph, as long as you know."
Carlotta muttered softly, then turned and walked toward Ciaccona, who was still watching them curiously nearby.
"Let's go. Let him keep tinkering on his own. I'll take you to get something to eat and rest."
"Huh? But I wanted to practice a bit more..."
"It's fine. We recorded so many takes just now; that's enough for today. Haste makes waste, right?"
Aeron turned and dispelled Ciaccona's concerns. For her, the most important thing now was maintaining a good state, both physically and mentally.
"Ah, okay, I understand. Partner, you should rest too!"
Aeron waved in response, and Carlotta led Ciaccona, who kept looking back, out of the recording studio.
After the door closed, the control room fell quiet again.
Aeron stood alone in front of the console, staring blankly at the complex tracks and waveforms on the screen for a while.
Then, he put his headphones back on, pulled up the dry vocal recordings from earlier, and began carefully replaying them over and over, marking places that needed adjustments.
After who knows how long, when he finally finished the first version and took off his headphones to rest properly, the sound of the door opening suddenly came from behind.
When Aeron turned around, he saw a familiar figure standing there.
"Zani, you're off work?"
"Yeah, I happened to hear you were nearby, so I dropped by."
Zani walked in and naturally sat on the nearby sofa.
"I heard things are going well here?"
"Pretty much. The rest can wait until tomorrow."
"So you're done for the day? Want to join me for a drink?"
Aeron looked at Zani's face. After the Carnevale incident, Ragunna had entered a peaceful transition period. "The Flameglow Nightwalker" had more free time in the evenings, and now her face showed less laziness and fatigue, replaced by more vigor and clarity.
As for him, he already had an answer to Zani's question.
In terms of identity, he now had the role of a boyfriend. Moreover, he had indeed relied on Zani's help quite a bit before. Most importantly, being with her was genuinely quite enjoyable.
So, Aeron immediately gave his answer.
"No."